Rotary internal-combustion engine.



0. L. R. JONES. ROTARY INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED ATTG. 8, 1910.

Patented M21127, 1911.

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Patented Man-7, 1911.

APPLIOATION FILED AUG. 8, 19110.

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ORSEMUS L. R; JONES, F DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

ROTARY INTERNAL-COMBUSTIGN ENGlNE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. '2, 1911.

Application filed August 8, 1910. Serial No. 576,089.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Ousmrcs L. R. J onus a citizen ofthe Uni-ted States, residing at Detroit, in the county of Viayne, State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful 'l nproveiiients in Rotary Internal- Combustion Engines; and I do declare the l followingto be scription of the able others skilled innentwn, such as will enlnfthe art ertains to make and use the same reference "being had to the accompanying drawings,

- inafter more fully set and to the characters of reference marked multiple cylinder disks rotatable in unison and operatively associated with the flywheel on the engine" shaft which carries the pistons adapted to traverse the curved cylinders in the cylinder disks as saidlparts are rotated in unison, the power developed by the explosion of the charges in the cylinders being transmitted to the engine shaft through the fly-wheel or piston disk on which the pistons are mounted. The above object is attained by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of an engine embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view of Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a sectional view as on'linc 3--3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view in detail showing one of the pistons in the position which it occupies upon entering one of the curved cylinders in one of the cyliinlerdisks. Fig. a similar view, showing the position of parts at the instant of explosion. Fig. 6 is a trans verse section throughone of the cylinderdisks, as on 111106 of Fig. 3. Fig. 7 is a fragmentary view in section through a portion of the fly-wheel or piston disk,

. which are mounted from. i ig. 8 is showin" a globular 'iilston projecting theretion, as on line 8'S of Fig. 5.

Referring to the characters of reference, 1 designates a suitable frame at the ends of the horizontaLshafts-Q a .full, clear,-and exact dc:

to whicli 1tapof the cylinder.

a fragmentary view in sec-' and 3', respectively, which are non-rotative. Mounted on the shaft 3 and rotatable thereon isa cylinder wheel or disk 4. Also mounted whcel 5 which is connected to disk 4 by means of a hub 5 Mounted on the shaft Qand rotatable thereon is a cylinder wheel or disk 6 and journaled on said shaft 2 is a gear wheel 7 connected to the disk 6 by means of a hub 7 Journaledin the frame equidistant from the shafts 2 and 3 is a third shaft 8 on which is mounted a flywheel or piston-carrying disk 9, and also mounted on said shaft is a gear wheel 10 which meshes with the gears 5 and 7, whereby the two cylinder disks and the pistoncarrying disk are caused to rotate in-unison in fixed relations. Bhth of the shafts 2 and 3 are provided with a longitudinal passage 11 leading to their respective disks 4 and 6 and terminating in a port 12,-as shown in Fig. 6, which opens within the center of said disks. Cylinder disk 4 is provided with said shaft to rotate is a gear a plurality of cylinders 13, each of which is ing through the periphery of said disk and the body of the loop lying within the wall thereof. In like manner disk 6 is provided with a plurality of cylinders 14 of the same shape and character as the cylinders 13 in disk 4. Mounted upon the engine shaft 8 and-interposed between the disks at and 6 are the abutments 15 and 16, respectively, the outer faces of which are concave'd coincident with the peripheries of said disks whichlic therein, said abutmcnts being adjustable toward said disk to make a tight closure between their curved faces and the peripheries of said disks by means of the right and left screws 17. Each of the cylinders in disks 4 and 6 is provided with a looped channel 18 opcnin through one side thereof conforming in slope to the shape The innerjface of the piston carrying disk 9 extends onto a portion of the adjacent faces of the disks i, and 6. Projecting laterally from the inner face of said disk 9 are the globular pistons 19 having reduced cylindrical stems 20 (see Fig. 7). Said pistons by a rotation of the disks 4, 6 and 9, are adapted to successively enter into and pass from the cylinders in the disks a and 6, the stems 20 of the pistons said cylinders. The globular pistons are se-'- I tain zones around the pistons 19, as shown in faces of the disks 4 and 6 by the movement as they are swinging upwardly, said pistoiis' while passing t.'1rough. the cylinders, lying in and filling transversely the channels 18 of cured to the disk 9 by means of bolts 21 which extend from the stems thereof through said disks and receive the nuts 22. As the disks 4, 6 and 9 revolve, in unison, disk 9 of which turning in a direction opposite to disks 4 and 6, the .pistons on said disk9 are caused to enter one end 0 curved cylinders and pass from the opposite end thereof, the shape of saidcylinders corresponding to the figure described on the of a fixed point on the face of the disk 9 across the face of the disks 4 and 6 as said disks revolve, said movement describing a looped course from a pointon the periphery of said disks toward the axis thereof andback to the periphery- The pistons on the disk 9 enter the cylinders in disk 6 from the upper side as said pistons are swinging downwardly, and enter the cylinders in disk 4 from the under side describing in their travel a complete circle concentric with the axis of shaft 8. The whole surface of the disk 9 does not lie flatly against. the sides of the disks 4 and 6, but instead the disk 9 is provided with raised surfaces23 of uneven shape and within cer- Figs. 2 and 3 and by dotted lines in Fig. 1. These raised surfaces are of such shape and so positioned as to cover the channels 18 in the explosion ends of thecylinders at the time said cylinders are passing the abutments 15' and 16, the exhaust ends of said cylinders being left open, as shown at 23 in Fig. 3, to admit of the escape-from the cylinders of any air contained therein in ad-; Vance of the moving pistons. I

Formed in the wall of eachof the disks 4 and 6 are radial passages 24, each of which communicates at its inner end with a chamber 25 in the hub of the disk, the outer ends. of said passages 24 communicating with the explosion end of the cylinders by way of the transverse passages 26. Located at the juncture of the radial passages 24 and thetransverse passages 26, or otherwise properly dis: posed, are spark plugs 27 through tie medium of which the explosive charge may' be ignited at the proper time, as wilLbe well understood in the art. i Communicating with the ends of the 1161 low shafts 2 and 3 are conductor pipes 28' and 29, respectively, coupled to a supply pipe 30- (see Fig. 2) which leads to a source of gas or other explosive mixture under pressure, not shown, said explosive"niixturo being delivered to the ports 12 in the shafts 2 and 3 under constant compression, so that as the disks revolve a charge of explosive minedperiods to the chambers 25 and thence to the cylinders of the disks through the passages 24. The arrangement of parts is such thatthe chambers '25 communicating with the passages 24 remain closed until the pistons shall have entered the explosion ends of the cylinders and passed thereinto, by the concurrent rotation of the pistonndisk and the cylinder. disks, such distance as to form an explosion chamber between the piston and the faceof-the abutment, 'whicli'will at that time close the explosion end of the cylinder, and the port 12 in the hollow shaft of the cylinder disk will register with; the chamber 25 and passage 24 of the cylinder which is in position for firing, permitting an explosive charge under pressure to enter the explosion end ofthe cylinder between the abutment and the piston 19, a position of parts illustrated in Fig. 5, at which time the charge is ignited ,Zt'o drive the pistons through the curvedlfcylinders and impart a ing shaft 8. Two cylinders are in operation at substantially thelsame time, one cylinderin disk 4 and the other in disk 6, the pistons entering the cylinders in disk 4 from the lower side, and entering the cylinders in disk 6 from the upper side. As the explosion ends only of the cylinders are closed, no back pressure is created in the cylinders in advance of the moving pistons, so that the full force of the exploded charge is ex: erted to drive thepistons throughout the course of the curved cylinders. The cylinders being open at their ends, they exhaust as soon as the istons pass therefrom or as soon as the exp osion en thereof pass the abutments; said cylindersremaining open during the remaining portion of the rota of cylinders in the cylinder disks, in excess of. the pistons carried by the piston disk, a nd because ofthe small gear 10 on the shaft .-of the piston disk,-sha-ft 8 will be driven at a higher rate ofs e ed than attained by the cylinder disks. I Having thus fully set forth my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by 'Letters Patent, is.- I

1. A rotary'engine comprising a cylinder mixture is successively admitted at predeterdisk rotatable about its axis, a piston disk tion of their respective disks, are permitted 7 S ton disk having a plurality of pistons adaptseason rotatable about its axis eccentric to the axis of the cylinder disk, the sides of said disks overlapping, the cylinder disk having a phirality of curved cylinders therein, the pised to enter the explosion ends of said cylinders to traverse the course thereof and leave said cylindersat their exhaust ends as said disks are rotated in opposite directions, an

abutment for closing the explosion ends of said'cylinders during a part of their rotary movement, and means for exploding a combustible mixture in the exlposion ends of said cylinders between the movable piston therein and said abutment.

2. A rotary enginecomprising a cylinder disk rotatable about its axis and having therein a plurality of cylinders curved in the form of a loop, both ends of which open through the periphery of said disk, a piston disk rotatable about its axis eccentric to the axis of the cylinder. disk, said disks lying with their adjacent faces in contiguous parallel relation, a plurality of pistons on the piston disk adapted to enter said cylinders at their explosion ends to traverse the course of said cylinders and leave said cyl inders at the exhaust ends as said disksrevolve in opposite directions, means for admitting an explosive charge to the explosion ends of said cylinders in the rear of the pistons therein, means for exploding said charges to drive the pistons through the course of the curved cylinders, and an abutment for closing the explosion end of each cylinder during the period the exploded charge is acting on the piston.

3. A rotary engine comprising a cylinder disk rotatable about its axis and having therein a plurality of cylinders curved in the form of a loop, both ends of which open through the periphery of said disk, apiston disk rotatable about its axis eccentric t0 the axis of the cylinder disk, said disks'lying with their adjacent faces in contiguous parallel relation, a plurality of pistons on the piston disk adapted to enter said cylinders at their explosion ends to traverse the course of said cylinders and leave said cylinders at the exhaust ends as said disks revolve in opposite directions, means foradmitting an explosive charge to'the explosion ends of said cylinders in the rear of the tric to the axis of the cylinder disk, the faces of said disks lying contiguous in parallel relation, globular pistons projecting lat erally from a side of the piston disk mounted upon stemsof a lesser diameter, the side of the cylinder disk having curved channels therethrough coincident with the curve of the cylinders and comnninicating therewith, the pistons being adapted to enter the explosion ends of said cylinders with their stems lying in said channels, an abutment for closing the explosion ends of said cylinders during the period the exploded charges are acting upon the pistons therein, means for admitting explosive charges to the explosion ends of said cylinders between the pistons and said abutment and for exploding said charges to drive the pistons throughout the course of said cylinders. 1

5. A rotary engine comprising two cylin- "der disks in juxtaposition, each mounted to rotate about a horizontal axis, the axis of said disks lying in parallel relation, a piston disk rotatable in opposite direction to the cylinder disks eccentric thereto and disposed with a side thereof overlapping the side of the cylinder disks, each of the cylinder disks having a plurality of curved cylinders therein Whose ends open through the-periphery thereof, a plurality of plstons projecting laterally from a side of the piston disk adapted to successively traverse the cylinders of the cylinder disks as the three disks revolve, each of said pistons in succession after passing from a cylinder in one disk entering a cylinder in the succeeding disk, abutments embracing a portion of the peripheries of said-disks so disposed as to close the explosion ends of the cylinders therein during the period of work of each cylinder, means for admitting explosive charges to the explosion ends of the cylinders in said disks between said abutments and the pistons in said cylinders, and means for exploding said charges when so confined.

6. An internal combustion engine comprising a cylinder disk, a hollow shaft on which said disk is mounted, the opening in said shaft terminating in a port Within the hub of said disk, a plurality of curved cylinders formed Within the Wall of said disk, the ends of said cylinders opening through the periphery thereof, a rotatable piston disk having a. plurality of pistons adapted to enter and traverse said cylinders, an abutment disposed to close the explosion ends of said cylinders after the entrance of a piston thereinto, there being a passage connecting the explosion end of each cylinderwith said port in said hollow shaft at a predetermined time in each revolution of the cylinder disk, whereby an explosive charge may be admitted to the explosion end of each cylinder upon the instant said cylinder end becomes closed by the abutment, and means for ex- I that of the cylinder disks and disposed with a side thereof overlapping a side of the cylinder disks, each of the cylinder disks having ,a plurality of curved cylinders therein Whose ends open through the periphery thereof, a plurality of pistons mountedon the piston disk adapted to successively traverse the cylinders of the cylinder disks as said disks revolve, abutments embracing a portion of the peripheries of the cylinder disks so disposed as to close the explosion ends of the cylinderstherein during the period of work of each cylinder, means for admitting explosive chargesbetween saidabutments and the pistons in said cylinders, means for ex- Gopies of this patent may be obtained for ploding said-charges when so confined, and

means connectingall of said disks to cause them to rotate in unison -in fixed relation.

8. An explosive engine; comprising a rotatable cylinder disk having a curved cylinder therein normally open at its end, a rotatable piston diskcarrying a piston adapted to enter and traverse said curved cylinder as said dlSkS revolve, means for caus ng said dlsks to revolve m 11I11SOI1, an abutment for closing the explosion yen'd of said cylinder during a portion of the rotary movement of the cylinder disk, and means for exploding a combustible mixture in the explosion end of said'icylinder wheniyclosed by said abntment.

In testimony whereof, I sign-this specifi? cation in the presence of two witnesses.

ORSEMUS L. R. JONES. Witnesses:

.E. S. WHEELER, I. G. HoWLErrT,

five cents each, by addressing the fifiommissioner of Patents, Washington,- D. G. 

